Monday, May 14, 2012

After last year's run under manager Kirk Gibson's guidance, the Diamondbacks were picked by many to win the NL West. So it's quite a surprise to see them for the first time this year (the Diamondbacks are the only NL West team we haven't yet seen), and find the Diamondbacks five games under .500, 8.5 GB the Dodgers. Who would have guessed that the snakes would be so happy and docile?

Pitching has been the Snakes' demise; their team ERA ranks 13th in the NL (4.23, versus the Dodgers' 3rd-best 3.21 team ERA). Kennedy leads the Snakes with three wins and five quality starts, so he's as close as it comes to the Snakes' ace--but the 3.91 ERA isn't exactly overwhelming this season (though he is 3-1 lifetime against the Dodgers, with a 4.75 ERA).